Get ready to add an ethereal touch to your Halloween decorations with these spooky Ghost Gnomes!
In this step-by-step tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of creating your very own Ghost Gnome to enchant your home with haunting charm.
So gather your materials, don your ghostly creativity, and let’s dive into this DIY project.
Gathering Supplies to Make Your Own Gnomes
Materials Needed
- 1 x 5cm polystyrene ball for the body
- 1 x 5cm polystyrene ball for the feet. To cut in half.
- Pantyhose- White- 3 x squares roughly 5cms x 5cms
- Fibre fill or something similar
- 3 small silicone bands
- Wooden sticks/ dowels cut in to 2 x 7.5cms lengths for the legs.
- 1 x white pipe cleaner / chenille stick
- Decoration-optional spider or headstone
- Material – White felt 30cm x 40cm
- Material – White Glitter Foam 25cm x 15cm
- Material – Black Glitter foam for eyes 4cm x 4cm – optional
- Fur Fabric – White 7cm x 7cm
Tools Needed
- A hot glue gun
- Scissors
- A craft knife
Instructions
Nose / Hands and Arms:
- Use a square of pantyhose and push in some fibrefill to form a ball shape.
- Twist then wrap around a small silicone band. Make 2 hands and 1 nose (the nose should be bigger).
- Trim off the excess material, leaving a little for gluing on later.
- Glue the hand onto the arm in the middle of the shorter end.
- Fold the arm in half and finish by adding glue just around the hand stalk and at the longer opposite edge. The rest of the felt should be loose.

Feet and Legs:
- Cut the foam ball in half for the feet. (2) Use a bread knife or a craft knife but be careful not to cut yourself (Adult supervision is advised).
- Glue each foot (curved side) onto a piece of the white glitter foam. Make sure the fabric goes all the way over and to the edge on all sides. Try as hard as you can not to get too many wrinkles around the edge.
- Cut off the excess glitter foam and add more glue if needed at the edge.
- Glue the bottom felt fabric on to the foot making sure the polystyrene ball is not showing and looks neat and tidy and cut off any excess felt. You can add some trim around the bottom edge if you want.
- Repeat for the other foot.
- Take a wooden leg stick/dowel- 7.5cm- and glue lengthwise onto the 5 cm end of the 3cm x 5cm strip of felt and roll on, then glue down at the end. Make sure you leave a bit of stick at each end- which will be glued into the body at the top and into the foot at the bottom.
- Repeat for the other leg.
- Decide where you want the leg to go in, on the foot (don’t have them too far back, think of the balance), and then poke a hole with a pair of scissors (Adult supervision is advised).
- Repeat for the other side then squirt some hot glue in, push in the wooden part of her leg making sure the seam on the leg is either at the back or on the side. Because the body of our Ghost is small, it is important to make sure the legs are glued in on an angle towards the middle. Use the body as a guide.
- Decide if you want your feet looking straight ahead or pointing outwards and put a little glue on the side of the foot and hold the feet together and make sure they sit flat. This is for stability.

Body/Legs and Feet On:
- Cut a small amount of the polystyrene ball off at each end. So there are 2 x flat circles approx. 2.5cm-3cm diameter on each end of the ball. The legs will go in one end and the hat will go on the other end.
- Mark the center of the smaller body circle (cut in felt) and put a dot in the middle of one end of the polystyrene ball, add glue and stick down the small circle matching the center marks.
- Glue the rest of the felt fabric around trying not to have too many wrinkles.
- Put some paint on the top of the leg sticks and position the bottom of the body (felt covered end) on to the legs to transfer the markings.
- Use your scissors to make some holes that angle towards the center. (Adult supervision is advised)
- Put her legs in to see how they look. If okay take them out, glue the holes, and push the legs back in. You may have to play around with the balance so that she doesn’t fall over and the feet are flat. If she’s wobbly you can add a larger base under her feet.
- Get the bigger felt circle and make a mark in the center and also in the center of the polystyrene ball (cut end) add the glue, match the markings, and glue the circle on the top.
- Now finish gluing the fabric down. Glue down as far as the felt that is coming up from the bottom making sure you cover the cut edge. Make sure to distribute the folds of the felt so that it looks like a sheet hanging on a ball.

Arms, Nose, and Hair On:
- Work out where you want the nose to be remembering that the hat doesn’t come down very far. So glue the nose close to the top and in the middle, with the end bit of the nose going up at the back and feet are facing you.
- Snip your hair/fur from the bottom upwards leaving about 2cm at the top. This bit goes above the nose. Glue on your hair on so that there is a panel of hair-fur running down- on each side. Make sure it looks neat and tidy.
- Decide where you want your arms to be, glue the long edge of the arms and put them onto the body.

Hat/Hat On/Eyes and Decorations:
- Snip a small cross in the center of the hat brim.
- Fold your pipe cleaner/chenille stick in half and twist it around itself to make it stronger.
- Glue the bent end of the pipe cleaner onto the tip end of the peak making sure to leave a seam allowance all the way around.
- Glue the 2 sides of the hat peak together making sure the pipe cleaner is loose apart from the tip of the hat.
- You may need to stretch the bottom of the peak –where it attaches to the brim-to fit it on the brim nicely.
- Check to see how the peak sits on the brim. If it looks ok start gluing the peak on starting at the seam end. Try to keep the same distance from the edge all the way around.
- You might have to cut some of the center hat/brim away at the center so you can see better.
- Pull the pipe cleaner down making folds in the hat and glue the pipe cleaner end down on the join on the inside at the bottom. The length of the hat peak depends on how you want your ghost to look. (You can just leave the peak full length if you wish, but this can sometimes put her off balance, and you will need to bend the peak down anyway.) Fold the excess bit of pipe cleaner back up into the peak of the hat and fill with a small amount of fibrefill. You can now manipulate your hat any way you like.
- Get the hat and run some glue around the inside of the brim and glue down onto the body making sure there are no messy bits showing and the seam is at the back.
- Stick your black glitter foam eyes on the hat and add a spider or 2- optional.

Congratulations on finishing your Ghost Gnome!

Free Pattern Download
If you’re eager to get started, I have a special offer for you. You can download the detailed written instructions for free, allowing you to have them handy as you embark on your ghost gnome-making adventure. Simply click the link below to access your free instructions and begin crafting your own spooky ghost gnome masterpiece.
For those who prefer a more immersive learning experience, I’ve also created a comprehensive video tutorial that guides you through each step in detail. The video provides visual demonstrations and additional tips to ensure your ghost gnome turns out just the way you envision. You can download the video tutorial below for a one-time fee of $7.99 USD.
Conclusion
With a bit of creativity and some simple materials, you’ve brought this charming character to life, and there’s no doubt that it will add a delightful touch to your Halloween decor.
Give her a name as this brings her alive (no pun intended) and enjoy!
Supplies are available at the following stores
If you’re needing an idea on where to source the tools or materials, I’ve put together a rough list of ideas below depending where you are in the world.
USA:
- Hot Glue Gun:
- Michaels: Hot Glue Guns at Michaels
- Scissors and Craft Knife:
- Michaels: Scissors at Michaels
- Michaels: Craft Knives at Michaels
- Foam Cone and Foam Egg:
- Joann: Foam Cones at Joann
- Pantyhose:
- Walmart: Pantyhose at Walmart
- Fiber Fill:
- Amazon: Fiber Fill on Amazon
- Silicone Bands:
- Walmart: Silicone Bands at Walmart
- Wooden Sticks:
- Michaels: Wooden Sticks at Michaels
- Soft Felt:
- Michaels: Felt Fabric at Michaels
Canada:
- Hot Glue Gun, Scissors, Craft Knife, Foam Cone, Foam Egg, Pantyhose, Fiber Fill, Silicone Bands, Wooden Sticks, Soft Felt:
- Michaels Canada: Shop at Michaels Canada
Australia:
- Hot Glue Gun, Scissors, Craft Knife, Foam Cone, Foam Egg, Pantyhose, Fiber Fill, Silicone Bands, Wooden Sticks, Soft Felt:
- Spotlight: Shop at Spotlight Australia
New Zealand:
- Hot Glue Gun, Scissors, Craft Knife, Foam Cone, Foam Egg, Pantyhose, Fiber Fill, Silicone Bands, Wooden Sticks, Soft Felt:
- Spotlight NZ: Shop at Spotlight NZ
UK:
- Hot Glue Gun:
- Hobbycraft: Hot Glue Guns at Hobbycraft
- Scissors and Craft Knife:
- Hobbycraft: Scissors at Hobbycraft
- Hobbycraft: Craft Knives at Hobbycraft
- Foam Cone and Foam Egg:
- Hobbycraft: Foam Cones at Hobbycraft